Element and Charges

Each element has a charge dictated by whether it is a metal (+ charge) or a nonmetal (- charge).

Main Group Metals: Charges are determined by the group and follow a pattern (tall columns- Groups I-IV) as follows:

Group I : +1
Group II: +2
Group III: +3
Group IV: +4

Main Group Nonmetals:

Nonmetals can be (-) or (+) depending on what type of compound they form.

Nonmetals have a (–) charge when they are paired with a metal. Recall, a binary compound formed by a metal and a nonmetal is called an ionic compound.

Group IV: +4
Group V: +5
Group VI: +6
Group VII: +7

Nonmetals have a (–) charge when paired with another nonmetal. A binary compound formed by two nonmetals is called a molecular compound. These (-) charges are based on how many electrons need to be gained to reach an octet or eight electrons in the valence (last) shell of the atom. Typically the pattern is Group # minus 8 so…

Group IV: -4
Group V: -3
Group VI: -2
Group VII: -1
Group VIII: 0 (no charge since it has 8 electrons already)

Transition Metals: (short columns) must be memorized as they vary or “transition” between various charges. You can find the charges of most common metals in the periodic table to follow…

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